Do starfish have a gender?

There are hundreds of different species of starfish crawling around the ocean floor, so there's plenty of variety among them. Many species are born as either male or female and retain their assigned gender until death. The cushion star (Asterina gibbosa) does things a little differently though. All of their babies are born as males. read more

Starfish have sexual organs, or gonads, in each arm. During a breeding season the males' gonads fill with sperm and the females' gonads fill with eggs. When starfish spawn, the males release sperm and the females release eggs in great numbers. Female starfish may release millions of tiny eggs into the water during a spawning session. read more

The simple answer is that most starfish are and remain, either male or female. However, that actual answer is a bit more complex. Asterina gibbose are all male in their early life. read more